Reason
by alescA Munroe
Summary: Do you remember why you fight for this village, Hokage sama?  Kotetsu and Izumo explain their reason to Tsunade.


Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_.

Notes: Wanted to post something without Kyouji in it. Love him though I do, I keep forgetting he's not canon.

And the bit about Kakashi visiting the stone everyday? I'm not sure if it's canon or not, or if I just stumbled across a lot of fanfiction with the same idea, but I liked it and it stayed.

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_Reason_

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All was quiet in Konoha, a first since the last Uchiha had defected and the subsequent retrieval mission ended in failure. Tsunade approached the two chuunin who were in front of the memorial. Kotetsu had tilted his head in acknowledgment as Tsunade approached, Izumo, seated next to his standing friend, hadn't moved. The Godaime Hokage sighed. "Why are you here?"

"Ostensibly, to pay our respects," Kotetsu responded quietly, hands shoved into his pockets.

"You've been here all day. Even the Copy-Nin isn't here this long."

"No," Kotetsu agreed. "But he _is_ here every day."

There was silence, and then, "Do you remember why you fight for this village, Hokage-sama?"

The woman turned to the chuunin who had spoken. "Izumo?"

"I used to forget," the Kamizuki confided, fingers tracing over the names on the monument. "After all, what was the point of putting our lives on the line for an entire village, the most of which who could never understand what it meant to be shinobi? Shinobi deal in death, a concept most civilians find hard to comprehend. Even other ninja sometimes fail to grasp the enormity of one of their own dying for the village. I did, until my brother died."

The older Kamizuki, if Tsunade recalled correctly, had hanged himself for failing a mission. She knew it must have made a big impact on the younger brother, but then Izumo continued, "I hated him for leaving me as the heir to our clan, for leaving me without a brother. It took me a while to realize he, in his own way, had died for our clan, for our village. He felt the only way to rectify his mistake was to die."

"What does that have to do with you sitting here today?" Tsunade asked.

Neither seemed to have heard her question. Kotetsu crouched down next to Izumo and tapped the stone. "These ten lines are shinobi who died in the Kyuubi attack. Two of those lines are Kamizuki. My parents are listed on here too, four lines down from Izumo's parents. Above the Kyuubi victims," his hand slid up the stone, "the shinobi lost in the Second Secret War. Sensei's sisters and mother are there, along with a couple other names you'd recognize."

Tsunade saw Nawaki and Dan's names. Kotetsu kept talking as he touched a few of the other names. "Gekkou Hayate. He was the first to die because of Hidden Sound and its alliance with Hidden Sand. We knew him through Anko, he played a mean game of strip poker.

"Morino Ibiki's sister. She was absolutely terrible at the kunoichi arts, but more than made up for it with her strength. She was my sister's best friend.

"Shiranui Genma's father. He took an S-class mission back when the mess with Hidden Cloud was going on and never came back. He was the best acupuncturist in all of Fire Country.

"These are Umino Iruka's parents. We couldn't stand Iruka as kids, still can't, but his parents had this insanely powerful water jutsu that set back the Kyuubi's arrival by almost a day.

"Uchiha Obito." Kotetsu smiled almost fondly. "He and Izu used to fight every chance they got, just because they could."

"He reminded me of my brother," Izumo explained. "Except for the fact that my brother was actually _good_ at being a ninja. The point is, this is how we remind ourselves what we're fighting for, why we've kept going. We keep going for the sake of the people who had to die for Konoha's sake."

"We respect their deaths by living for the village they gave everything for." Kotetsu shrugged once as he stood. "They're our reason for fighting."

It was a little morbid, Tsunade reflected as she watched her assistants. Most people fought for the living, to protect who they had left. Many of them fought for their Kage's sake. Kotetsu and Izumo fought for the dead, those who no longer could fight for their precious people.

The Hokage turned to walk away. "You two had better be early tomorrow."

They didn't respond. She didn't expect them to.

_My reason for fighting is hope. Hope that the next generation will keep our Will of Fire alive._

Extra Notes: Tell me what you think? Will be reposting W, S & C, as I made Arashi Hokage waaay too early. _  
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